Slight change of plans. I posted our weekly meal plan on Monday. According to the plan, we were going to have leftovers or chicken nuggets last night, but as I realized around noon yesterday, we had no leftovers and only four chicken nuggets. Fortunately, we did have all the ingredients for a steak dinner (which was supposed to be our […]

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Well hello! So happy you’re here! But I should warn you: this recipe is not for the Tex-Mex tacos you might be thinking of (the ones with a greasy yellow shell and heavily cumin-and-chili-powder seasoned ground beef). While those tacos are delicious, these are not those. Although I hesitate to generalize, you could say these have more of an interior Mexican flavor. […]

I love to find a difficult recipe and make it easier. Like mole. I took a challenging recipe that nobody in their right mind would ever make, and made it shorter, faster and easier. And now, with this paired-down recipe, you can make authentic homemade mole in just five simple steps! (Okay maybe you’ll never make it but […]

Happy Memorial Day weekend! We are so ready for school to be over and summer to start. (But ask me in two weeks and I’ll probably be counting down to September, ha!) Are you planning to break out the grill over the long weekend? If so, here are for four simple sauces to serve with your meal. 1. Easy […]

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Have you ever tried Lebanese baked eggplant? Also known as “Sheik ‘al Mishee” (or “Sheik ‘al Mehshe”), which translates to “Dish Fit for a King.” And it really is that good. You start with eggplant, which is broiled until brown and then baked until soft. The eggplant is layered with ground beef and a rich tomato […]

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Balsamic beef just sounds good, doesn’t it? I thought so when I saw a recipe for it on Pinterest. Then I made it. It was okay but nothing memorable. Meh, I would say. Very meh. So anyway, I decided to come up with my own recipe. I wanted something that was really different flavor-wise from my […]

Chimichurri. It is my favorite condiment of late for so many reasons: It’s easy to make. It’s light and fresh. It goes with anything. It adds a vibrant green color to your plate. It’s gluten, grain and dairy free, as well as paleo, vegan, sugar free, and raw! What’s more, the main ingredient — parsley — […]

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Lately I’m all into this book Simplicity Parenting. As the cover says, the book is about “using the extraordinary power of less to raise calmer, happier, and more secure kids.” It’s a bit counterintuitive because we are such a “more” society, but I am now a firm believer in the power of less. Less clothes clothes […]

My mom and I used to make lasagna together when I was a kid. While it was always fun to make, it never turned out just right. The noodles were often broken in the box, and then would stick together in the water. For the filling, we used a mixture of frozen (thawed) chopped spinach […]

Nothing quite makes my day like meeting a new friend! Like my new friend Laila, who I met on Instagram yesterday. She recently made my Crock-Pot Pork Verde, and even her kids enjoyed it! Laila said that she has recently started following a gluten-free diet. So for her, I’m doing this gluten-free recipe round-up. All of these […]

My husband John? He’s a sauce guy. While I can enjoy almost any grilled meat with a little S&P, John likes a slather of something special. And thank goodness, right? If not for you, John, our dinners might be downright boring :) Which reminds me of a great Bob Dylan song: If not for you, my sky […]

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Do you remember the scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding when Toula tells her Aunt that her new man doesn’t eat meat? The Aunt replies: “What do you mean he don’t eat no meat?” [The whole room becomes silent.] Then the Aunt says: “Oh, that’s okay. I make lamb.” That scene reminds me so much of John’s […]

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Okay, so maybe I was wrong. It is getting cooler. Kinda. Sorta. I mean, it was in the 70s over the weekend. Which, after a summer of 100+, feels downright cold. So on Sunday afternoon, with the cooler weather and a long-overdue Longhorn win, I was in the mood to make beef stew. Only problem? Sunday […]

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It’s good to get lost. Lost in love. Lost in play. Lost in music. Lost in a moment. And while I love quick-and-easy dinner ideas, I also love to get lost in the kitchen. On a lazy Saturday afternoon, I like a real recipe. One that has a long list of ingredients and takes hours to […]